How to Tune the Darton TriTech 35 Without a Press

One of the biggest advantages of the Darton TriTech series is how much tuning you can do without putting the bow in a press. Between the limb pocket tuning system, adjustable cable guard, and timing system, you've got quite a few ways to correct arrow flight without having to start moving shims.

But how well do those systems actually work?

I had a fresh Darton TriTech 35 that needed to be set up for one of our Bow Wars comparisons, so I figured we'd go through the entire process. Set the rest, check the specs, shoot it through paper, see what adjustments it needed, and then experiment with the different tuning systems.

And the thing that impressed me wasn't just how quickly we got a bullet hole. It was how much adjustment I could make afterward and what those adjustments actually did to the tear.

Watch: Darton TriTech 35 Setup and Paper Tuning

Here's the actual shop process. This isn't a polished review or a bow that we've already tuned before turning the camera on. You're seeing the adjustments I made, the paper tears we got, and how the bow responded.

Darton TriTech 35 Initial Setup

For this setup, I was working with a Darton TriTech 35 set at 28.5 inches of draw length and 70 pounds. The bow already had the sight mounted, and I was using a Hamskea Everest limb-driven arrow rest.

Before shooting through paper, I wanted to get the basic setup where it needed to be.

Setting Nock Height and Center Shot

I started by leveling the bow and making sure the arrow was level while running directly through the Berger hole.

From there, I checked center shot and adjusted the rest to 13/16 inch from the riser.

That's pretty much where I start on most of the compound bows I set up. It gives me a consistent starting point, and I've had good results tuning from there.

That doesn't mean 13/16 is automatically the correct final center shot on every bow. It's where I'm starting before I evaluate how the bow actually shoots.

Setting Up the Hamskea Everest Limb-Driven Rest

One thing about the Hamskea Everest is that it isn't micro-adjustable. You don't get the same fine adjustments at the rest that you would with some other models.

But with a bow like the TriTech, I don't necessarily see that as a major disadvantage. Once I've got center shot established, I have multiple adjustments available within the bow itself.

I'm a big fan of limb-driven rests, and here's how I set this one up:

With everything locked down, the bow was level, the arrow was level, and center shot was set. Now I wanted to confirm the bow's actual measurements before shooting it.

Checking the Darton TriTech 35 Specifications

Before I start making tuning adjustments, I want to know that the bow is where it should be from a specification standpoint.

For the TriTech 35, the published measurements are:

I measured the bow from the center of one axle to the center of the other and got exactly 35 1/8 inches.

Brace height measured 6 3/8 inches as well.

Both measurements were right where they needed to be, so I was comfortable moving on to paper tuning.

Paper Tuning the Darton TriTech 35

This is where I wanted to see what the bow would actually do.

With the basic setup complete and the bow measuring in spec, I stepped back into the tuning room and shot the first arrow through paper.

First Shot: Nock-Right Tear

My first shot gave me a slight nock-right tear, roughly a quarter of an inch.

Now, on the TriTech, you've got multiple places you could start making adjustments. You can work through the limb pocket tuning system, the adjustable cable guard, or make changes to the rest if necessary.

When I looked at this bow, I noticed the limb pocket tuning screws had already been adjusted, with one side maxed out.

My assumption was that somebody in the shop had been working with this bow for a customer, so I wanted to see what happened when I backed that adjustment out.

I removed one full turn from the left-side limb pocket tuning adjustment, looking at the bow from the front, on both the top and bottom.

Then I shot it through paper again.

Correcting the Nock-High Tear With the Timing System

Since the horizontal tear was essentially gone, I moved to the timing system to correct the remaining vertical tear.

One of the things I really like about the TriTech series is that Darton gives you a pressless timing adjustment. You can make changes through the adjustable timing system without having to twist cables in a bow press.

I loosened the set screw at the upper timing adjustment, made one full turn, and tightened everything back down.

Then I shot another arrow.

Perfect bullet hole.

And that's what impressed me. I hadn't touched the factory shim configuration, I hadn't needed a press, and I hadn't even used the adjustable cable guard yet.

It took very little adjustment to get this particular TriTech shooting a clean hole through paper.

Testing the Darton TriTech Micro-Adjustable Cable Guard

At this point, the bow was already shooting a bullet hole. But I wanted to see what the other tuning adjustments would actually do.

Specifically, I was curious about the micro-adjustable cable guard.

Darton gives you a way to adjust the cable guard position, which changes the relationship between the cables, cam loading, and the arrow's reaction through the shot.

I'd heard that you could correct a pretty significant paper tear using the cable guard alone, so I wanted to test it instead of just assuming that was the case.

Test One: Move the Cable Guard Two Turns

I started by moving the cable guard two turns to the left.

That adjustment did change the paper tear. We went from a bullet hole to a slight nock-right tear.

So we knew the cable guard was influencing the result.

From there, I wanted to reset the adjustments and see what the bow would do closer to its neutral settings.

Test Two: Reset the Bow and Shoot Again

I reset the cable guard to the center indicators and returned the limb pocket tuning screws to their neutral positions, with the screws flush and without added tension.

Center shot was still at 13/16 inch, and the arrow was still level.

For this test, I was shooting an Easton FMJ Max, 300 spine, cut to 29 inches.

I shot the bow again.

Another bullet hole.

That's when I started laughing because this bow was almost frustrating. You have all these tuning features, and the thing keeps shooting a bullet hole with everything set close to neutral.

Test Three: Moving the Cable Guard Almost All the Way Right

Next, I moved the cable guard nearly all the way to the right to see how much horizontal tear that adjustment could introduce.

And this is why I like doing these raw setup videos.

I expected to see more of a difference, but when I shot through paper, the tear barely changed. I shot another arrow to confirm, and we were still getting essentially a perfect bullet hole.

That doesn't mean the cable guard doesn't work. We had already seen it change the tear earlier.

But it does show that the amount of correction you get isn't necessarily the same under every setup condition.

I didn't want to give up on the test there, so I decided to intentionally introduce a larger tear.

Test Four: Intentionally Creating a Nock-Left Tear

I put one full turn into the limb pocket tuning screws, top and bottom.

That gave me a little more than a quarter-inch nock-left tear.

Now we had something significant enough to work with.

With the cable guard previously adjusted far to the right, I moved it back to the left by approximately two and a half turns.

Shot another arrow.

The tear was gone.

I shot one more arrow to confirm, and we got another clean bullet hole.

Darton TriTech 35 Tuning Adjustments and Results

Here's a breakdown of what I actually adjusted during the test and how the bow responded.

Final Checks: Timing, Draw Length, and Draw Weight

Even though I was able to tune the bow without a press, I still wanted to check a few things before calling the setup finished.

So I put the bow in the press to inspect timing and measure the actual draw length.

Cam Timing

After the adjustment I made earlier, the timing was pretty much spot on.

That's something I wanted to confirm because getting a bullet hole through paper doesn't automatically tell you everything about the bow's timing.

In this case, the timing looked good.

Actual Draw Length: 28.75 Inches

The bow was set at 28.5 inches, but when I measured from the throat of the grip to the nocking point and added the standard 1.75 inches, I came up with:

So this particular bow measured about a quarter inch longer than the selected 28.5-inch setting.

That's not something I would automatically call a problem, but it is worth checking. If you're trying to dial in your actual draw length, don't assume the module setting tells you exactly where the bow measures.

Actual Draw Weight and Holding Weight

Next, I checked peak draw weight.

The bow was set up as a 70-pound bow, and it measured right at 69 pounds.

Holding weight came in at approximately 11.8 pounds.

I've noticed some Darton bows coming in a little light during our shop testing. This one was only about a pound under the nominal setting, and I personally wouldn't be worried about running it there.

What I Learned Tuning the Darton TriTech 35

The thing you have to understand about a bow like this is that having more tuning adjustments doesn't necessarily mean you need to use all of them.

With this particular bow, we got a clean bullet hole very quickly. After that, I was intentionally moving things around just to understand how much correction each system could provide.

1. Establish a Consistent Starting Point

Before chasing a paper tear, make sure the bow is properly set up. Confirm the bow specifications, level the arrow, establish center shot, and make sure the arrow is appropriate for the bow.

That removes some of the variables before you start making adjustments.

2. Don't Change Everything at Once

One of the easiest ways to get lost during tuning is to start moving the rest, limb pockets, cable guard, and timing system all at the same time.

Make an adjustment, shoot again, and see what happened.

That's exactly why I like showing the process in these videos. You can actually see which adjustment changed the result.

3. The Tuning Systems Work Together

The limb pocket adjustment and micro-adjustable cable guard can both influence horizontal paper tears. The timing system gives you another adjustment when you're working through vertical tears or timing concerns.

That doesn't mean every paper tear should automatically be corrected with one specific adjustment. You still need to evaluate the setup and diagnose what's causing the issue.

4. A Bullet Hole Is a Starting Point

One thing I want to emphasize is that a clean paper tear doesn't automatically mean your hunting setup is finished.

Paper tuning tells you something useful about the arrow's initial flight, but I'd still want to confirm how the bow shoots farther downrange, especially with broadheads if it's going to be a hunting bow.

The arrow itself matters, too. Spine, length, components, point weight, and the rest of the setup all play a role in how the arrow responds.

You have to look at the complete system.

5. Pressless Tuning Doesn't Eliminate the Need to Check Your Work

I love being able to make these adjustments without a press. Especially for somebody who wants to work on his own bow.

But you still need to follow Darton's adjustment procedures, stay within the specified limits, and verify the bow's measurements and timing.

Pressless doesn't mean you can skip the fundamentals.

Is the Darton TriTech 35 a Good Bow for DIY Tuning?

If you're somebody who likes working on your own equipment, I think the TriTech series is going to appeal to you.

The biggest advantage isn't necessarily that it's going to tune better than every other bow. It's that you've got multiple ways to make adjustments without needing to put the bow in a press every time.

Based on what we've seen at Extreme Outfitters, these bows have been extremely straightforward to tune. At the time of this video, we'd only needed to change the shim configuration on one of the right-handed TriTech bows we'd sold.

Most of the adjustments we'd needed were handled through the bow's own tuning systems.

That doesn't guarantee every individual bow will behave exactly the same way, but it's been a positive experience for us in the shop.

If you want to see how the TriTech 35 actually compares to another flagship hunting bow, check out our Darton TriTech 35 vs. Mathews ARC 34 Bow Wars comparison. In that video, we look at the bows from a shooting and performance standpoint rather than just the setup process.

Darton TriTech 35 Tuning FAQ

Can you paper tune the Darton TriTech 35 without a bow press?

Yes. In our testing, we corrected the initial paper tear using the limb pocket tuning system and pressless timing adjustment. We also tested the adjustable cable guard and corrected an intentionally introduced horizontal tear without changing the factory shims or using a press.

What center shot did Extreme Outfitters use on the TriTech 35?

We started at 13/16 inch from the riser with the arrow level and passing through the Berger hole. That worked well for this setup, but the final center shot should be confirmed through the tuning process.

Can the TriTech cable guard correct a paper tear?

Yes. During our test, approximately two and a half turns of cable guard adjustment removed an intentionally created quarter-inch nock-left tear. However, the amount of correction may vary depending on the bow's existing adjustments, arrow setup, and other variables.

Does the Darton TriTech 35 require cam shimming to tune?

Not necessarily. We achieved a clean paper tear with the factory shim configuration on this bow. At the time of filming, most of the TriTech bows we'd set up in the shop had tuned using the built-in adjustment systems without needing a shim change.

Does the TriTech 35 measure true to its draw length setting?

Our particular bow was set at 28.5 inches and measured 28.75 inches using the AMO draw length measurement method. That's a quarter inch longer than the selected setting on this individual setup.

Do you still need to broadhead tune after paper tuning?

For a hunting setup, we recommend confirming arrow flight and broadhead impact downrange. A clean paper tear is useful, but it doesn't replace checking the complete bow and arrow system under real shooting conditions.

Bottom Line: The Darton TriTech 35 Is Extremely Easy to Tune

I'm a believer in what Darton is doing with the TriTech series.

This setup was a great example of why. We started with the bow in spec, established center shot, and had a clean bullet hole through paper after very little adjustment.

Then we went a step further and tested the tuning systems by intentionally changing the paper tear.

What impressed me most was that I could use the limb pocket tuning adjustments, timing system, and adjustable cable guard to correct the bow without touching the factory shim configuration.

For somebody who likes working on his own equipment, that's a pretty big advantage.

But remember, getting a bow to shoot a bullet hole is only part of the process. Make sure the bow fits you, the arrow is correctly matched to your setup, and the finished combination shoots consistently downrange.

That's how we approach tuning here at Extreme Outfitters.